International Journal of Research in Engineering Technology -– Volume 2 Issue 5, July - August 2017

RESEARCH ARTICLE OPEN ACCESS

Irony in Pride and Prejudice

1
R.Sumathi, 2K.Alexander
M.Phil Research Scholar,2Asst.Professor in English
Department of English, Prist University,Thanjavur, India
Abstract:
The basic feature of every irony is a contrast between reality and appearance. Jane Austen makes use
of irony at different levels. She makes use of it in her narrative style to uncover the incongruities, even
contradictions existing under the surface harmony, thereby adding a rich subtlety and complexity to her
style and making it fit to be analyzed and interpreted at different levels. Her irony in her characterization to
expose her character’s misunderstanding of others as well as their own self deception. Even her dialogues
are full of dramatic irony; they have one interpretation for the speaker, and quite another for the reader to
who possesses more information than the speaker. Sometimes certain words uttered by a particular character
and certain situations get imbibed with ironic implications in the light of what happens later in the novel.
Jane Austen’s use of irony lends compactness, clarity and subtlety to her narrative, depth to her
characterization, a comic touch to her plot, and it keeps her reader titillated and amused

Keyword-__ Pride, Prejudice, Intricacy, Imprudence, Marriage.

.
Ironic theme of ‘Pride and
Prejudice’ Like all other novels of Jane
Austen, the theme of Pride and Prejudice
also easily lends itself to an ironic
interpretation. At the ironic level, Pride and
Prejudice presents the contrast between
‘intricacy and simplicity as those terms
applies to personality’. Darcy and
Elizabeth’s intricacy is set against Jane and
Bingley’s simplicity. The first two have
depth, but their depth involves them in the
dangers of Pride and Prejudice. The latter
two are quite simple, and their simplicity
turns out to be a virtue. But which one is
more attractive and even preferable- the
intricacy of the first two or the simplicity of
the later is a question to the readers.
Both intricacy and simplicity have
their virtues; both are equally desirable; on
the other hand, both of them have their
dangers too. Perhaps one would like to be
both intricate and simple at the same time,
but the irony is that they are mutually
exclusive and incompatible.
Ironic Tone of the Narrative.
Jane Austen’s ironic tone is
established in the very first sentence of the
novel “ it is truth universally acknowledged,
that a single man in possession a good
fortune in must be in want of wife.” The first
half of the sentence suggests that some great
‘universal’ truth is the subject of the novel.
There is an ironic deflation in the second
half when this truth is found to be concerned
with a common social problem- marriage.
The sentence itself means that people
assume that a well- to- do young man should
be on the look-out for a suitable wife. It
conceals beneath it an ironic thought that in
reality things may the other way round.
It quite likely that woman in the
neighborhood of this young man are

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International Journal of Research in Engineering Technology -– Volume 2 Issue 5, July - August 2017
desirous of having such a husband and he
may be the hunted one rather than the
hunter. Jane Austen’s implications became
clear when in the next paragraph the young
man is even called the ‘rightful property’ of
some young lady. In the same chapter,
summing up Mrs. Bennett’s character, Jane
Austen writes, “the business of her life was
to get her daughters married, its solace was
visiting and news”. Here the ironic
implication is that she is not likely to show
much discrimination about the young man
they choose as their husbands- a fact later
confirmed by her sense of exaltation in
Lydia’s marriage of Wickham.
Another example of this type of
irony may be taken from the description of
miss. Bingley and Mrs. Hurst in chapter IV-
“they were in fact very fine ladies; not
deficient in good humor when they were
pleased nor in the power of being agreeable
when they choose it, but proud and
conceited. They were rather handsome, had
been educated in one of the first private
seminaries in town, had a fortune of twenty
thousand pounds, were in the habit of
spending more than theu ought, and of
associating with people of rank, and were,
therefore, in every respect entitled to think
well of themselves and meanly of others.”
Here the ironic implications of the
expression ‘ very fine ladies’ became clear
as the readers have acquainted with their
Pride, snobbery, selfishness. Such an ironic
tone pervades the entire novel. A still finer
example of this kind of irony may be found
in the following words of Mr. Bennett about
Mr. Wickham in chapter53;
He is as fine a fellow as ever I saw.
He simpers, and smirks, and makes love to
us all. I am prodigiously proud of him. I
defy even sir William Lucas himself to
produce a more valuable son-in-law.
In order to realize the ironic hidden
in these words the reader can only to remain
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themselves that the valuable son-in-law of
sir William Lucas is none else but the
affected ass Mr. Collins.
Irony of situation
Most of the event and situations in
Pride and Prejudice have been given an
ironic twist. Mr. Darcy remarks about
Elizabeth that “she is not handsome enough
to tempt me” and soon after gets captivated
by her enormous eyes. Taking into
consideration the imprudence of a marriage
alliance with the Bennett family, he removes
Bingley from netherfield but makes the
same alliance himself. Collins proposes to
Elizabeth when her heart is too full of
Wickham. Darcy proposes to her exactly at
the moment when she hates him most.
Elizabeth quite emphatically tells Mr.
Collins that she is not the type of girl who
will reject the first proposal of marriage and
accept the second, but this is what she
exactly does. The departure of the militia
from Meryton was expected to put an end to
Lydia’s flirtations; it brings about her
elopement.
Elizabeth thought that her prospects
of marriage to Darcy were blasted by the
infamy of Lydia’s misconduct, but the affair
actually brings them together. Miss.
Caroline Bingley leaves no opportunity of
casting aspersions on Elizabeth and her
family. But she succeeds only betraying her
own ill breeding and alienating Mr. Darcy.
Lady Catherine’s intervention to check the
marriage between Elizabeth and Darcy helps
to expedite it. Examples of this type of irony
are innumerable and can be picked from
anywhere in the novel
Irony of character
Irony of character is even more
prominent than irony of situation. Is not it
ironical that Elizabeth, who prides herself on
her perception and disdains Jane’s blindness
to realities, is herself quite blinded by her
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International Journal of Research in Engineering Technology -– Volume 2 Issue 5, July - August 2017
prejudices? Darcy always thought he was
such a gentleman, but his proposal to
Elizabeth is quite ungentlemanly. Wickham
is graceful to look at polished and rewinding
his manners but at heart he is an unredeemed
villain. The Bingley sisters hate the Bennets
for their vulgarity but are themselves vulgar.
The fact is that there are incongruities and
contradictions inherent in human nature
itself, and Jane Austen quite amused herself
portrays them for the amusement and
edification of his readers
Irony as a source of rich comedy
Irony in Jane Austen’s hand is
always a means to rich comedy. She enjoys
depicting the incongruities of character but
she does not allow them to taint the
atmosphere of gaiety and mirth that fills the
pages of her novels. Mrs. Bennett’s
vulgarity drives away the suitors but only
temporarily. Lydia’s thoughtlessness
threatens irreparable disgrace but ultimately
her marriage with Wickham does
materialize. It is interesting to note that it is
the villainous characters, Wickham and
Lady Catherine who are responsible for
uniting Elizabeth and Darcy.
Dramatic irony is one of the prominent
features of Pride and Prejudice. The
difference between appearance and reality is
emphasized at every stage. Wickham
appears to be refined and cultured but turns
out to be villainous. Darcy is seemingly ill
mannered, but the reader find him a fine
gentleman. Caroline tries to prejudice Darcy
against Elizabeth but the more she maligns
her, the more Darcy is attracted towards her.
Mrs. Bennett’s efforts are aimed at trapping
eligible suitors but she succeeds in only
driving them away.
Lydia’s elopement with Wickham is
supposed to jeopardize Elizabeth's marriage
with Darcy; it brings it about. Lady
Catherine wants to prevent this marriage,
but she simply facilitates it. Darcy checks
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bingley from marrying a Bennett girl but
ends up by marrying one himself. Elizabeth
tells Collins that she is not the type of girl
who will reject the first proposal and accept
the second, but this is precisely what she
does.
There is a dramatic irony at the narrative
level pervading practically every page of the
novel. Mrs. Bennett tells her husband that
their daughters after all cannot be expected
to have sense of their parents. And how
sensible are the parents indeed. Mr. Bennett
exclaims that Wickham happens to be his
favorite son-in-law, and that why shouldn’t
he be after all the discomfort he has caused.
In Pride and Prejudice both the action and
the characters develop through dialogues. It
is rarely that Jane Austen indulges in direct
comment, description or analysis. Mostly
she is in the background and lets her drama
unfold in itself or her characters reveal
themselves through short, pithy dialogues.
The reader may also learn about her
characters from what others have to say. In
the first chapter, Mr. and Mrs. Bennett
reveal themselves before the novelist sums
up their essential qualities.
The reader comes to know Mr. Collins
through his letters before he makes a
personal appearance at long bourn. Lady
Catherine is first seen through the eyes of
Collins, and then of Wickham and finally
the reader meets her personally at Rosings.
Some of the scenes have got great dramatic
vividness and intensity. The hero Darcy,
Elizabeth repartees at netherfield, the two
proposal scenes, the clash between Lady
Catherine and Elizabeth. In such scenes,
Jane Austen reveals herself as a master
dramatist with a perfect ear, a perfect sense
of timing, a shrewd instinct for climax and
anti-climax.
Conclusion
Jane Austen’s irony is not tinged
with any bitterness nor does it reflect her
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 International Journal of Research in Engineering Technology -– Volume 2 Issue 5, July - August 2017

cynicism. It is amusing but it is not just

verbal wit for local entertainment. It
provokes some deep thinking over some
significant issues of human life. Hence irony
in her hands neither indifferent nor
responsible. Jane Austen is objective in her
observation and depiction of the reality of
life but not in her evaluation of the moral
values governing this reality. She has her
own ethos, her own set of values- whether
adequate or not is an entirely different issue-
and she makes her pronouncements on
human activity with appreciable
consistency. Thus irony in her hands is an
instrument of moral vision and not a
technique of rejection.
References
1. Apperson, G.L. A Jane Austen
Bibliography. London: Cecil Palmer, 1932.
Print.
2. Austen, Jane. Letters to her Sisters
Cassandra and others. Ed. R.W. Chapman.
Two
Volumes. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1932.
Print.
3. Babb, Howard S. Jane Austen’s Novels: the
fabric of dialogue. Columbus, Ohio State
Univ. Press, 192. Print.
4. Babb, Howard S. “ Dialogue with Feeling:
A Note on Pride and Prejudice”

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